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SALT LAKE CITY — A man died after being found unresponsive in a housing unit at the Salt Lake County Metro Jail early Monday morning, according to the Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office.
Deputies and jail nurses on duty found Levi Cleveland, 31, in the unit unresponsive and began performing life-saving measures, according to a news release from the sheriff's office. Cleveland was transported by ambulance to the hospital where he died, the release says. His cause of death is unknown.
Cleveland was housed in a precautionary quarantine unit in an effort to reduce the risk of introducing COVID-19 into the facility; this was protocol for newly booked inmates, said officials. If an inmate tests positive for COVID-19, they are placed on medical quarantine. According to UHP Sgt. Carrie Fisher, medical quarantine includes housing inmates in individual cells, testing, monitoring for symptoms, and treatment.
Cleveland began serving a court-ordered 120-day sentence for drug-related charges on Nov. 20, according to the news release. On Nov. 23, a judge ordered a conditional release to an alternative to the incarceration program when a bed became available.
Due to this being an ongoing investigation, the Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office declined to provide further details.
